John Singleton

This movie is the kind of movie that you go in expecting one thing and come out thinking something entirely different. A lot of times this leaves you with that, expecting orange juice and get a mouthful of sour milk feeling. This is not one of those times. The Movie starts in an ultra small, dirt-poor town in the DEEEEEEP south and we are introduced to the main character Rae (Christina Ricci). She is a needy, underhanded nymphomaniac. Her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) has decided to join the military and make a future for the two of them and Rae has no idea how she will live without him. Within minutes of Ronnie's bus leaving for boot camp, Rae is taken over by one of her "spells" and ends up in a hotel room with the resident town drug dealer, hustler, thug (and possible linebacker for the NY giants, he bears a striking resemblance to Lawrence Taylor). This is followed by a night of alcohol and drug fueled partying which ends up with her playing naked football and having sex with another man. Ronnie's friend drives her home. She is then beaten half to death and left in the road, 5 feet from the doorstep of Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson). Lazarus has recently had his wife leave him for his younger brother so he is battling his own demons. He decides that God has placed this young girl in his hands for a reason and he has to do his level best to help her. Rae spends the next 2 days in a nearly comatose state waking up only sporadically. Lazarus decide that in order to protect the girl from herself and possibly exorcise her sex demons he should wrap a 40 foot chain around her and confine her to his house. Over the next week both Lazarus and Rae embark on a journey of self-realization and acceptance with the help of a couple of well placed reality checks. (this synopsis first posted on realmoviereview.com) --------------------------------- Rae (Christina Ricci) is a sexual abuse victim and nymphomaniac who connects with Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) to fulfill her needs. Ronnie must report to his National Guard unit and leaves Rae alone. After a party, Rae is taken home by a friend who ends up beating her half to death and throws her on the side of the road. The next day, Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) finds Rae and carries her home. Lazarus gives medical care to Rae, and believes that he can also save her from herself. Lazarus puts a 40 pound chain around her and his radiator to keep her from going out looking for men. Lazarus has problems of his own, because his wife has just left him for another man. Lazarus turns to his blues music to relieve his pain. Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)

In South Central L.A., a misguided 20-year-old African-American man, a "baby boy", faces the commitments of real life. This is the story of Jody, an unemployed young black man, who's been living with his mother for several years, even though he's got a child of his own. Romantically, he's having relationships with two women: Yvette, the mother of his son, and a new interest. —Anonymous BABY BOY is the powerful urban drama directed by John Singleton (Shaft and Boyz N the Hood) starring rap music superstars TYRESE GIBSON and SNOOP DOGG (Half Baked, I Got the Hook Up). With knockout performances from VING RHAMES (Mission: Impossible II, Pulp Fiction, Con Air) and A.J. Johnson (Friday House Party, The Players Club), BABY BOY is a tough, honest and unflinching look at modern urban life. Jody (Gibson) is a 20-year-old African American in South Central L.A. who is trying to live large but doesn't have a job. He's got two babies by two different women and still lives at home with his mother (Johnson). Growing up is tough on Jody, but a series of events involving his mother's new boyfriend Melvin (Rhames), his girlfriend Yvette (Taraji P. Henson) and her ex-con ex-boyfriend Rodney (Snoop Dogg), force him to learn lessons about living, loving and surviving as a man in the hood. —Anonymous

In 1998, NYPD Detective John Shaft II (Samuel L. Jackson), a relative of legendary private investigator John Shaft I (Richard Roundtree), is called in to investigate the grievous assault of Trey Howard (Mekhi Phifer) outside a restaurant. Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. (Christian Bale), the son of a wealthy real estate tycoon Walter Wade Sr. (Philip Bosco), after noticing blood on him and Wade claims he acted in self-defense. However, Trey's friend tells Shaft that when she and Trey entered the restaurant, Wade racially harassed him. Trey humiliated Wade in response and left the restaurant, and Wade followed after him. Shaft notices a waitress, Diane Palmieri (Toni Collette), eyeing Wade and tries to coax a statement from her but she claims to have not witnessed anything and disappears from the scene. When Wade mocks Trey after he dies on the ambulance stretcher, Shaft punches him and is suspended and transferred to another precinct. Later, Wade phones Shaft to taunt him that because of the punch, he was granted bail (for $200K) on the homicide charge and has fled to Switzerland. Two years later, Wade returns to the country and Shaft rearrests him. Shaft's friends throw him a celebratory party where the elder Shaft appears and warns him that Wade's wealth puts him at an advantage to beat the case. While temporarily detained at police headquarters, Wade befriends Peoples Hernandez (Jeffrey Wright), a Dominican drug lord who Shaft previously arrested (they were both put in the same cell). At his bail hearing, the judge makes Wade relinquish his passport in exchange for being released on bail again (for $1 MM); frustrated, Shaft resigns from the police force, promising to bring Wade to justice on his own terms. Worried that Shaft might find the missing eyewitness, Wade hires Peoples to find and kill her first. Shaft continues searching for Diane, enlisting the help of his friends Detective Carmen Vasquez (Vanessa Williams) and taxi driver Rasaan (Trevor Smith Jr.). Shaft gets Diane's location via her colleague Terry (Lanette Ware), who was at the restaurant that night. Diane spots Shaft and manages to escape. While visiting Diane's uncooperative mother, Shaft and Carmen realize they are being followed by officers Jack Roselli (Dan Hedaya) and Jimmy Groves (Ruben Santiago-Hudson), whom Peoples has promised a cut of the payment (of $40K) to follow Shaft and get to Diane. Disguised, Shaft and his former colleague, Detective Luger (Lee Tergesen), rob Wade of the money he had gathered to pay Peoples' off by selling some of his deceased mother's 'exclusive' jewelry. Now, without any cash, Peoples forces Wade to be his distributor to high end customers for 16 months, in exchange for finding Diane. Shaft and Luger plant the money on Roselli and Groves to make Peoples think he is being double-crossed (they call Peoples and tell him that the cops have the money under their car seats as they robbed Wade). However, Roselli and Groves spot Shaft fleeing the scene and realize they are being set up and resume tailing Shaft. Shaft traces a number Diane's mother called and finds Diane being protected by her brothers Mike (Ron Castellano) and Frank (Richard Cocchiaro). Before they can talk, Peoples' Gangbangers attack them. In the shootout, Shaft kills Peoples' younger brother and Mikey is injured. Shaft, Diane, Rasaan, and Frank take shelter at Rasaan's apartment, secretly followed by Roselli and Groves. While at the apartment, Diane admits seeing Wade murder Trey. Wade then made her keep silent in return for a payoff from Wade's father. Meanwhile, Peoples angrily attacks Wade over his brother's death. Peoples and his Gangbangers arrive at Rasaan's apartment, but Shaft engages and kills most of them in a shootout and everyone flees through the fire escape. Roselli and Groves try to kill Shaft, but Carmen comes up behind them and she kills the corrupt officers at Shaft's command. The shootout spills into the city streets where Shaft and Carmen kill the Gangbangers but Rasaan's cab crashes alongside Peoples' vehicle. Peoples takes Diane hostage with an ice pick. Shaft puts his gun down and convinces Peoples not to do Wade's dirty work and instead to fight him individually. Peoples releases Diane and drops his ice pick, then feigns preparing to fight Shaft before drawing his gun from his back; Shaft pulls his backup gun and kills Peoples first. Wade's trial finally arrives. Shaft tells Trey's mother, Carla Howard (Lynne Thigpen), that the trial will have a new judge, the D.A. as prosecutor, and an eyewitness. However, before the trial can begin, Carla guns down Wade on the courthouse steps and she is arrested. In the police station, Shaft reiterates to Carmen that he prefers to be a private detective. A woman arrives, asking Shaft for help filing assault charges against her abusive boyfriend. Shaft is initially reluctant, but when he sees her injury, he decides to help her via his methods. Shaft, along with John Shaft I and Rasaan, go together to confront the abusive boyfriend.

At Columbus University, a fictious college in southern California, we first see Malik Williams (Omar Epps), a young black man, Kristen Connor (Kristy Swanson), a young white woman, and Remy (Michael Rapaport), another young white man, at the opening freshman pep rally and as they are decorating their rooms. Malik and Kristen meet in the elevator, with the nervous Kristen shielding her purse and Malik seeing this and shaking his head with resentment. There is a montage of each putting up pictures and posters in their rooms. Track star Malik goes to his first practice unprepared, and is chastised severely by the coach. Kristen meets her roommate, Monet (Regina King), a black girl, and attends a fraternity rush party, where she meets two outgoing freshmen Nicole and Claudi. Monet and Malik attend a party with other black students, hosted by Fudge (Ice Cube), an afrocentric and militant senior whom has been at the university for six years now. Remy, who is Fudge's roommate, is upset at the loud rap music being played late into the night. He calls security, who breaks up the party. Fudge is upset that they don't tell the room down the hall to stop their loud "hillbilly" music. Kristen, while walking home, meets Taryn (Jennifer Connelly), a junior lesbian student who warns Kristen about walking alone late at night and invites her to a student group. Malik's roommate, Wayne (Jason Wiles), is then introduced, with Malik angry about his filthy bed area and lack of hygine. The next day at the campus square, Fudge points out to Monet the self-segregation of the various ethnic groups on campus. We then see Malik's first class, with Professor Maurice Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), a conservative black man from the West Indies whom is teaching Political Science 101. In the class, Malik's and Kristen's names (among others) are called out for having financial problems, embarrassing them. They go to the financial aid office, where Kristen is told she needs a job since her parents are bankrupt, and Malik learns that his athletic scholarship is partial, not full. He talks to the coach, who agrees to help him out if he keeps his grades up and works extra hard on the field. Fudge returns to his room with his friend Dreads (Busta Rhymes), and plays his rap music loud, disrupting Remy's studying. When Remy complains, Fudge mocks and threatens him, causing Remy to move out. Later that night, Remy is beaten by Malik at a video game who further mocks him. Remy then rejects an offer of pool from Wayne and David Isaacs, Remy's new Jewish roommate. Meanwhile, Kristen is shown getting drunk and leaving with frat boy Billy (Jay Ferguson), retreating back to his frat room. Billy and Kristen prepare to have sex, but when Billy indicates that he does not have a condom, Kristen decides she doesn't want to have sex. Despite this, Billy ignores her refusal, and rapes her. She eventually fights him off, and flees. Monet returns to their room and finds Kristen crying in her bed. When Billy calls, Monet refuses give the phone to Kristen, and Billy suddenly reacts violently and insults her racially. Angered, she turns to Fudge, who recruits his friends to confront him at the frat party. Monet forces Kristen to tag along with them where she willingly points out Billy to the black students. Fudge and Dreads pull Billy outside, threatening him and forcing him to apologize to Monet. The security guards arrive and the black students leave. The next day, despite being ostracized by her friends, Kristen attends Taryn's student group on harmony between different groups. Meanwhile, Malik borrows a copy of the autobiography of Frederick Douglass. After telling Fudge he only needs it for a class, Fudge kicks him out, telling him to read it for himself and not for school. That evening, Remy is reading alone outside in the student quad when he is approached and asked out for a drink by Scott Moss (Cole Hauser), a white supremacist and neo-Nazi skinhead whom had been glimpsed in the background shadowing Remy for the past few days. Remy also meets Scott's skinhead friends: Erik (Talbert Morton), James (Trevor St. John), and the weight-lifting hulking Knocko (Andrew Bryniarski). A few days later, Professor Phipps challenges his class (including Kristen and Malik) to determine who they are for themselves and not let others categorize them. Kristen talks about her rape with Taryn, with Taryn encouraging her to report it and attempting to console her. Malik confronts Phipps about a paper he graded, arguing he should have a better grade. When Phipps shows him the various spelling and grammar errors, Malik calls him a sellout for the "white establishment". Phipps angrily responds that the world owes Malik nothing and he must work for his own good to make a difference in this world. Malik is then shown racing in a relay, losing ground to another runner. When his teammates confront him, he responds with Fudge's ideology. He walks away and flirts with fellow runner Deja (Tyra Banks). Remy is seen in Scott's dorm room with James, Erik, and Knocko. The room is decorated with Swastikas and Nazi paraphernalia. Scott expresses his racist beliefs, and the troubled Remy is slowly being convinced that "the white man is endangered" and he is encouraged to shave his head to join Scott's underground neo-Nazi group. In the campus library, Deja is shown helping Malik with his essay and his spelling errors. Nearby, Kristen is shown realizing her growing attraction to Taryn. Phipps then criticizes Kristen's bland paper, telling her that only writing the facts is fine for journalism, but not for a political science course. Phipps tells her that her purpose at college is to think for herself. Phipps then talks with Malik about his much improved paper. Remy is shown working in a class, surrounded by students of other races. He removes his hat, showing he has shaved his head and is wearing an Iron Cross necklace. Wayne asks Kristen for a flier for their group, confronting her when she says the anti-sexism group is for women, flirting with her as well. On Halloween night, Monet attends a costume party with Dreads while Malik also attends with Deja. Kristen attends a rape awareness rally with Taryn. Remy and the other neo-Nazis attack an interracial couple. After the rally, Kristen asks to spend the night with Taryn. Taryn rebuffs her, saying she wants Kristen to be sure about it. While stretching on the track, Malik continues spouting Fudge's ideology to Deja, saying he hates feeling like a thoroughbred. Deja rebuffs him, saying he has opportunities that people would do anything for and he should take them. The stretching and running is then intercut in a montage with a love scene, showing they have started dating. Kristen is also seen going on a date with Wayne. Scott shows Remy his gun collection and Remy talks about his abusive, survivalist father in his Idaho home town (which is the indirect result of Remy's troubled behavior and childhood). Kristen is shown walking holding hands with Taryn in public across the campus. They have a run-in with Monet and another friend of hers who see them. A montage love sequence is shown with Kristen where she sleeps with Wayne, but fantasizes about Taryn. (In a deleted scene, Kristen goes to Taryn's room and indeed has sex with her as well). One day, while Malik and Deja talk about Christopher Columbus and of the college, Remy approaches, condemning Malik's Black Panther shirt and calling him a racial slur. Malik, angered, goes to Remy's room and confronts him about being a racist and Nazi after finding him reading a copy of Adolph Hitler's book 'Mein Kampf' (My Struggle). Remy backs down from a fistfight, with Malik insulting him and leaving. Remy trashes the room, contemplating suicide. After David returns, he confronts Remy about the mess. Remy starts beating David and Malik intervenes. Remy pulls his Glock 9mm, threatening the two and leaving. Malik runs after him, only to be stopped by security guards asking for ID. Resisting, he is arrested, letting Remy escape. Malik then moves in with Fudge and the rest of his friends. A day or two later, Malik and Fudge are relaxing on the student quad when they have a run-in with Professor Phipps and the three of them have a discussion on race, knowledge, and "the system". Phipps tells Malik that he must play the game of life to win, because no one wants to hear excuses. It is here that Fudge used to attend Phipps class when he was a freshman years ago and Malik is somewhat surprised when Phipps addresses Fudge by his real name, which happens to be 'Christopher White'. At the same time, Kristen begins organizing a peace festival with Monet to calm down the students after Remy's actions. Meanwhile, Scott chastises Remy for dropping out of school, arguing that the white community needs more successful members and that he is betraying his race. After Knocko calls out a racial slur, Fudge, Malik, Dreads, and another black student start a gang fight with the white power skinheads, beating them. Later, Deja confronts Malik on his intentions of dropping out and fighting for no good reason. Malik is becoming more and more angry about racial issues. At the underground skinheads's dorm, Scott says that Remy's posturing means nothing, and only actions do. He then shows Remy a sniper rifle and challenges him to action. The alienated and warped Remy agrees to kill for the white race. We then see Malik and Deja walking at the Peace Fest, with Malik saying he wouldn't drop out of college because he'd lose her. Kristen stands on the podum of the rally where she addresses the students while she sees both Wayne and Taryn standing separate among the students, leaving Kristen feeling uneasy to both of them whom she is currently dating without the others knowledge. Remy has moved to the rooftop of a nearby building with the sniper rifle and prepares to open fire on the students. Erik stands lookout while the other racist skinheads attack a gay couple to distract security. Remy is obviously having trouble with doing this, but acquiesces when pushed by Scott who tells him to "do it for the Aryan Nation". He opens fire on the Peace Fest, causing a riot. An unnamed student is killed, and Deja is shot in the stomach. She collapses in Malik's arms. After Phipps tries to help, Malik goes crazy and attacks Remy, meeting him on the stairs of the building and beating him severely and nearly choking him to death before racist security guards, led by the racist Officer Bradley (Bradford English) intervenes and beats him. Bradley and his men confront Remy as he tries to leave. Remy pulls out a pistol, resulting in a stand-off. Remy apologizes to the police for everything that he did and shoots himself in the head, killing himself. After the security guards let Malik go, he returns outside and finds that Deja has died, and he collapses into Phipps' arms, crying and wailing. The racist skinheads are shown mourning Remy's death when they see a TV news report of the university shooting. Knocko, Erik, and James then begin celebrating his actions, chanting, "white power". Scott quietly sits back and for a brief moment seems to smile. (It is strongly implied that Scott and his skinheads intentionally approached, brainwashed, and set Remy up as the patsy for their own actions, taking advantage of the troubled youth to make him do their murderous deeds and they will get away with it since there is nothing to connect Remy to either Scott or his skinheads.) A few days later, Malik and Phipps discuss his future at the university, with Phipps saying he trusts Malik's judgment whatever it will be. Malik walks out of the office... making it unclear if he is going to drop out of the university or stay on. Afterwords, Malik and Kristen are seen meeting for the first time at a memorial to Deja. Kristen feels guilty about the deaths because she started the festival. Malik assuages her guilt. And shortly after, they part. Malik then begins to run at fast as he can through the campus... running for himself and not for the school. In the final scene, a graduation ceremony is held where Fudge is seen finally graduating with the other students having long ago acquired all of the credits he needs, but he refuses to wear a cap or smile for his graduation photo. As Professor Phipps leaves his office, the final shot shows the USA flag fluttering in the wind as the caption "unlearn" appears over it as the image fades to black.

Justice (Janet Jackson) is a young woman living in South Central, Los Angeles. She was named Justice by her late mother, who gave birth to her while attending law school. After the shooting death of her boyfriend Markell (Q-Tip), Justice falls into a deep depression. She spends the majority of her time in the house she inherited from her grandmother, with her pet cat White Boy, only going out to her job at a local hair salon. Justice is a talented poet, she reads many of her poems throughout the course of the film, both to other characters and in voice over. Justice is at the hair salon working one day when a young postal clerk named Lucky (Tupac Shakur) comes in and begins flirting with her. She rebuffs his advances with the help of her female boss; the two women pretend to be lesbians and mock Lucky with their "relationship". Meanwhile, Lucky has also had tragedy in his life: his main focus is caring for his young daughter Keisha. He had to forcibly remove her from the care of her mother, Angel, a crack addict who was using drugs and having sex with her drug dealer while leaving the child unattended in the apartment. Lucky dreams of a professional career in music and shows considerable promise, but he insists his cousin is the true talent. Justice's friend Iesha (Regina King) manages to talk Justice into taking a road trip to Oakland with Iesha's boyfriend, Chicago (Joe Torry), Lucky's co-worker at the post office. Justice warily accepts, mainly because she has to go to Oakland for a hair show, and her car dies at the last minute. Unbeknownst to Justice, Lucky is Chicago's co-worker also on the trip, and she will now be sharing a postal van with him and their two mutual friends. Initially they argue, but over the course of the film soften towards each other as they discover their similarities. The foursome make a couple of detours off the I-5 expressway, the first being a family reunion barbecue they see signs for on the road. Here it becomes apparent (although there were ample hints earlier) that Iesha and Chicago's relationship is troubled. Iesha openly flirts with other men at the barbecue, while Chicago broods watching her behavior. The second stop is a beach where each of the four characters contemplate their separate situations in internal monologues. Next, they stop at an African Cultural Fair where Lucky and Justice grow closer as they discuss their lives. After leaving the fair, the friction between Chicago and Iesha explodes when Iesha informs Chicago she has been seeing someone on the side and he physically attacks her. Lucky initially decides not to get involved in the fight until Justice defends Iesha by kicking Chicago in the groin, and Chicago turns his physical brutality on Justice in retaliation. Lucky, Justice, along with a bleeding and shaken Iesha leave Chicago by the side of the road and continue on their journey. Lucky stops the postal van at a beach, and Justice goes to see what's wrong. She begins opening up to him about her life and Lucky becomes sympathetic. They share a kiss and Justice walks away apparently unsure of her feelings for Lucky. She goes back to him and they share another kiss. When the trio finally arrive in Oakland, they are met with the news that Lucky's cousin, with whom he had been working on recording music, has been killed. Lucky blames himself for not being in Oakland sooner, believing he could have prevented the shooting had he been in town. He turns his anger on Justice, angrily blaming her for distracting him while they were on the road. Several months later. Lucky and Keisha meet up with Justice again back at the hair salon, just at the moment Lucky brings in his daughter Keisha. Lucky is remorseful over his conduct in Oakland and the cruel words he said to Justice there, and apologizes. She smiles at him and they share a passionate kiss. Justice smiles coyly, and then turns her attention to Keisha, fussing over her hair. Justice and Lucky's eyes meet over Keisha's head and they smile, their connection as strong as ever.

Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects. Writer and Director John Singleton's portrayal of social problems in inner-city Los Angeles, California takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together in the "hood". Half-brothers Doughboy (Ice Cube) and Ricky Baker (Morris Chestnut) are foils for each other's personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the "All-American" athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports, while Doughboy succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), who is lucky to have a father, Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne), to teach him to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions. —Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu> At the age of ten, Tre Styles moves to the inner city to live with his dad, Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne). The elder Styles is determined to raise his son with self-respect and self-worth, not an easy task in a neighborhood where crime and drugs are rampant. By the age of seventeen, Tre (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) is a level-headed young man who has stayed out of trouble, unlike his friend Doughboy (Ice Cube), who has been in and out of jail several times. His brother hopes a football scholarship will be his way out. Tre works hard to be true to his father and to his friends, but violence, which can change your life in an instant, is something they all have to deal with. —garykmcd In South Central Los Angeles, California, Tre Styles lives with his divorced mother Reva Styles (Angela Bassett). When Tre is suspended for three days at school, Reva decides to send him to live in Crenshaw with his father, the businessman Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne), "to become a man". Tre befriends his neighbors, the half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker, and soon they become best friends. Seven years later, Tre (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) is an educated teenager preparing to join the university; Ricky (Morris Chestnut) is an athlete, expecting to join the university with a scholarship, since he is a great football player; and Doughboy (Ice Cube) is a small time criminal that has been arrested several times. But they live in a dangerous neighborhood where dreams are shattered by bullets. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Black and in their late teens, Tre, Doughboy and Ricky - the latter two half brothers - have hung out together since they were kids, they doing so more after Tre's mother, Reva, seven years ago sent him, bright but adversarial, to live with his father, Furious, in the Crenshaw district of South Central Los Angeles across the street from the other two living with their single mother. The move was for Furious to show Tre what it means to have a sense of responsibility as a black male, especially in an atmosphere of black male violence against each other that pervades their neighborhoods. Furious, an independent financial adviser working in the neighborhood, believes that the urban black problems within which they live, including this violence and crime, is only fostered by the white majority. That move to live with Furious largely resulted in Tre having that responsibility in he now wanting to head off to college for a better life with his Catholic girlfriend Brandi, who has resisted the pressure of having sex in wanting to wait until the "inevitability" of she and Tre getting married. Ricky, already married with a child - the marriage because of the baby - is also aiming for a better life for his young family. A high school football star, Ricky is resting his dreams on a football scholarship. However, in not being sure he can meet the minimum SAT requirement of 700, he is sketching out a less than ideal Plan B considering that focus on his young family. Of the three, Doughboy is the one who has fallen into that "predetermined" life of crime and violence, he in a gang and having just been released from a stint in prison. Regardless of what the three view as their respective futures, those futures may be affected by the environment in which they live where looking at the wrong person in the wrong way could result in a death sentence. —Huggo